1
as in to frown
to take on a gloomy or forbidding look
his face slowly darkened as we told him the sad news
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in to obscure
to make dark, dim, or indistinct
years of accumulated grime have darkened the painting until it can barely be seen
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to mar
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
the scandal darkened his otherwise sterling reputation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of darken
Two things persuaded Haagy to shelve his own plant research and zero in on the mystery of sky-darkening smog.
—
Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Oh, and the grief was almost a person of its own, darkening the minds of some of the characters as much as any lightless corridor could darken a space.
—Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026
Bake, tossing halfway through, until vegetables have shrunk and tomato paste is darkened and starting to stick to baking sheet, 25–30 minutes.
—Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Mar. 2026
The room can quickly be darkened, however, with the flick of a curtain switch.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for darken
Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Oh, and the grief was almost a person of its own, darkening the minds of some of the characters as much as any lightless corridor could darken a space.
—Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026
Bake, tossing halfway through, until vegetables have shrunk and tomato paste is darkened and starting to stick to baking sheet, 25–30 minutes.
—Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Mar. 2026
The room can quickly be darkened, however, with the flick of a curtain switch.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for darken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for darken
Verb
-
Hubbard posted an image of herself with a disgusted look on her face from earlier in Season 10, while Dillard shared a photo of himself frowning, also from a scene in the show.—
Payton Turkeltaub,
Variety,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Subscribers and consumer advocates may be frowning on Netflix’s latest price hikes, but Wall Street is celebrating the move.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The leader of the Ex-Slave Pension Association was later imprisoned on mail fraud charges, and the organization faded away, while the Eagles became one of the pressure groups that eventually led to Social Security.—
Trevor Jackson,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Pensions faded, and a new system of 401(k) retirement savings rewarded Americans for working longer.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The rise of high-frequency trading convinced us that everything is priced in instantly, obscuring pockets of friction.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Sheets appear to be covering the front cockpit window, obscuring what would normally be the pilots’ forward view.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Their reunion tour — which was somehow not marred by any type of familial controversy — sold out stadiums around the world and overexcelled in every conceivable way, setting the template for what the future of band reunions could look like and solidifying their legacy.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Ancient lava fields can be seen as dark lunar maria marring the silvery lunar surface, which themselves are threaded with bright streaks of reflective debris strewn across the surface by violent asteroid strikes.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Researchers placed food near a person who either stared directly at nearby gulls or deliberately looked away.—
Samantha Agate,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Food was placed near a person who either stared directly at nearby gulls or deliberately looked away.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The park is open from daylight to dusk for visitors and 24/7 for campers.—
Isa Almeida,
Oklahoman,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Its hours are from dawn to dusk every day of the year.—
Cathy Kozlowicz,
jsonline.com,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Nowadays, the two positions blur together, but his father, Troy, and Harvard-Westlake coach David Rebibo insisted his aspirations were to be on the ball.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Winter clouds and sleet blurred everything together, but as my eyes adjusted, what seemed dull grew more distinctive.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Russo places a few dry paper towels in the bag to absorb excess moisture and prevent spoiling.—
Randi Gollin,
Martha Stewart,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Choosing among loud, louder and loudest shirts, then contemplating whether to go with jorts or florts (don’t ask) and selecting the appropriate socks and crocs, Black finally is ready to go until Sarah Sherman shows up to spoil things.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Darken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darken. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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